PPM-IND Coalition Appears Set

(CNS): Alden McLaughlin looks set to remain as the country’s leader in a Progressive coalition with some of the Independent candidates, following a weekend of deals, counter-deals, backroom talks and double-crossing. While the front bench line-up is not yet firm, McLaughlin said Sunday he “expected to have a government in place” and would be “going to the governor tomorrow”. Although the PPM leader has not revealed details about the make-up of his new coalition government, CNS understands that it includes some former PPM members.

Already dubbed by pundits as ‘the weekend of the long knives’, since McLaughlin and CDP Leader McKeeva Bush signed a deal on Friday afternoon joining their parties in a coalition, there has been an enormous amount of backroom dealing to arrive at a new government line-up and a significant amount of double-crossing.

The Sunday evening agreement will probably sit well with the country, as it is believed to be a broader coalition and more reflective of what the people voted for than the first deal. The deeply controversial agreement the Independents struck late Friday night, which had Bush back as premier, did not appear to reflect the election result any more than the first deal with McLaughlin.